


Kiss My Eyes Because This Surely Is A Dream

by Delphinapterus



Category: Bandom, Cobra Starship, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-23
Updated: 2012-03-23
Packaged: 2017-11-02 09:32:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/367532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Delphinapterus/pseuds/Delphinapterus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the mazes Pete learns something new about Mikey.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kiss My Eyes Because This Surely Is A Dream

**Author's Note:**

> Written for bandom reverse big bang.
> 
> I was really excited to get this [mix](http://bandomreversebb.livejournal.com/24881.html) from thebunnyknows. The story focused on the atmosphere of the mix and is informed by the concepts in the songs. Thank-you to the mods for running this challenge and dr_jasley who cheered me on and listen to me figure things out. I owe a huge thanks to redscarfe and tempore for doing the beta work. Without their help this fic would have been the poorer. Any mistakes are mine since I tweaked this afterwards.

Soon they'll be surfing the Dír away from the city core where the world lights up and into the night blooming with phosphoresce that surrounds the outside sectors.

Pete lays back against the railing and curls his fingers tight as he feels the first shudder of the Dír powering up. Beside him Mikey is fidgeting, fingers tapping against his thigh. He's already starting to bliss on the tab slowly melting under his tongue. The Dír is rumbling under them, the metal warming with the circuits. The field is just strong enough to make the hair on Pete's arms tingle. He can feel the hair on the back of his neck rising in a way that makes him uneasy, yet still causes the adrenaline to sing through his system. The signal chimes in warning.

Pete moves closer to the edge of the ledge that he and Mikey are perched on, a spot only accessible through the warren of access corridors that run under the city. There are stories of people wandering them until they drop from exhaustion, but Mikey always scoffs at them. He moves through the corridors as if he's walking down the Promenade. Pete never worries when he's with Mikey. The corridors are filled with pipes and doors that lead to more corridors filled with more pipes all painted and marked with the maintainer's code that Pete doesn't know how to read. It's a uniform world to Pete, who can't tell the difference between corridors unless he makes Mikey show him. When Pete asks how he knows the corridors so well, Mikey always smiles and taps his temple with one long finger.

The vibrations of the Dír are stronger, rumbling easily through the soles of Pete's boots. He lets go of the railing. The jump has to be timed perfectly. There is only a narrow window of opportunity to leap into the Dír track and hit the top. Too soon, and the Dír will hit them, grinding their bodies under its wheels. Too late and they fall to the tracks so far down they'll probably break their legs — if not worse — and nobody will come to save them when they're on the tracks. Only last month, the feeds carried the quick second byte about some kid mis-timing the jump and getting run over when the next Dír went hurtling though. He looks over the ledge and into the blackness where the Dír's tracks lay far below.

"Don't think about Jon," Mikey yells above the noise of the oncoming Dír.

Pete nods, but Mikey's words just make him wonder harder what went wrong for Jon. They'd only met a few times; Pete was too new and Jon's circles didn't overlap with Mikey's very much. But Pete knew that Jon surfed the Dír all the time, he was part of the crews who surfed it with casual ease. It was as routine to them as riding inside the Dír was to the daily commuters. Jon had laughed when Pete had asked if he was afraid of missing it.

"The Dír runs on the beat just like all the stuff you feel her comin' long before she arrives. Me afraid? That's like askin' if I'm afraid of my shadow," Jon had said with suppressed laughter making his eyes bright.

Mikey taps Pete's shoulder quick and firm, so Pete pushes his memories aside and turns to him instead of staring into the darkness where the Dír's tracks lie.

"Ready?" Mikey asks and Pete nods.

They've done this before. He isn't terrified and half thinking he's about to die splattered under the Dír like the first time Mikey showed him how to surf it. The Dír growls, and they can hear the click as the Dír rounds the first track-switch. Pete can hear the memory of Jon's laugh in his ears as he pushes off from the ledge. He hangs midair for a second before plummeting down to hit the Dír, the impact of the landing reverberating up his legs. He can feel the jolt of the mag-shocks attaching to the Dír's metal surface, but it’s not until Mikey lands beside him in a crouch that Pete exhales. They made it again and now he can enjoy the way the adrenaline surges through his veins. The air whistles past them, it's cold against Pete's skin, and he turns his head back so it's not slapping against his face. He can feel the way his lips are pulled back in an unconscious grin. Mikey shuffles forward, the mag-shocks of his shoes click-thumping with each movement, until he's tucked shoulder to shoulder with Pete.

Pete leans against him and rubs his cheek against the rough fabric of Mikey's coat. Mikey reaches up to cup his face so he can steady them, the fibre of his half-gloves scratching against Pete's skin. The wind generated by the Dír tugs Pete's shirt tight against his neck and pushes Mikey's jacket hard against his chest and thighs so that it falls into the space between his legs.

Mikey leans forward and presses his lips against Pete's. He kisses against Pete's closed lips, soft shallow kisses that are less of a kiss and more the promise of kisses to come until Pete returns them. His lips part at the press of Mikey's tongue, slick and familiar slipping into his mouth. He reaches up and curls his fist in the big collar of Mikey's coat. He wants the moment to last forever; wants them to stay like a statue on the top of the Dír as it makes its runs. Mikey's tongue curls into his mouth and Pete can taste the bitterness that the tabs Mikey prefers always leave behind. He slides his fingers through Mikey's hair, even though he knows Mikey dislikes the way it messes up his careful styling . Mikey makes an annoyed noise and pulls back enough to nip sharply at Pete's lower lip.

Pete lowers his hands. It has become a familiar gesture, Pete's way of saying he’ll back off without really saying it. Mikey's sharp teeth bite gently at Pete's lower lip as he shifts, pulling at Pete's lip and letting it drag from between his teeth. Pete moans at the sensation and the gentle threat that Mikey could bite harder; could make him bleed until their kisses tasted of bloody copper. Mikey's hand curls around the back of Pete's skull as he licks Pete's bottom lip. Pete leans forward, fitting his mouth against Mikey's again. He wants to kiss Mikey until the Dír hits the final stretch and slows enough for them to jump.

* * *

The party is in full swing by the time Pete and Mikey arrive, because Mikey makes it a habit never to show up early to anything. Pete goes with Mikey, so by default he never shows up early either. It's a novelty for him. Being that late to a function would never have been tolerated in his life _before_ , but with Mikey and the rest of the seekers who make up the new world Pete has taken for his own, being late is considered _de rigueur_ for somebody like Mikey, who everybody knows by reputation, if not by sight.

Mikey touches the back of Pete's hand, just a fleeting brush of his finger tips, as soon as they enter. It's his signal that he'll find Pete later. The first few times, it had made Pete nervous to have Mikey vanish without explanation. Without Mikey, Pete only knew a few people who might be willing to help him out and get him back to a familiar sector. Now, he's been in the maze long enough that he knows how to find his own way back. Mikey's quick touch is reassuring because he knows it's Mikey's way of telling him that he's not leaving permanently. Before, non-verbal communication was an easily decipherable code, but with the seekers it's a new language that Pete struggles to understand. Mikey lives in it. He knows just the right angle of his head to convey interest or disregard; the way to turn his wrist when he waves so it changes from acknowledgement to invitation. Pete has the immersion course with Mikey, so he's the one who Pete finds easiest to read. It lets Pete know Mikey's private face. Watching Mikey thread his way across the room, Pete feels like he has the secret key when he can see the irritation in Mikey's nod of acknowledgment that gets an oblivious, open smile in return.

The parties are where Mikey works. Pete understands it's bad for business to have him too near when Mikey is negotiating. Earlier that night he watched Mikey getting reading, packing his supplies of pills and powders. It always seems like a magic trick in reverse to see the big stockpile vanishing into the pockets of Mikey's clothing. Pete recognized the silver triangle brand on the green foil packets Mikey slipped into his inner coat pocket.

Mikey had smiled and told him, "Fresh from KW Industries, hottest of hotcakes tonight."

Pete had nodded and done his best not to wonder how Mikey had something like that. What in did he have to get product that fresh? Pete had blinked and reminded himself that questions like that were from _before_. They weren't for the present with Mikey. He should celebrate Mikey being that resourceful, not concern himself with profit-loss volume margins, so he'd just clapped approvingly when Mikey's vanishing act concluded.

A waving hand catches Pete's attention. He recognizes Gabe standing beside the elevated sound rig that's pulsing with lights. Pete waves back, careful to keep his fingers flexible, the way a friendly agreement to join is supposed to be done. He threads his way through the crowd, letting people jostle him just enough to give him the feeling of being comfortably surrounded. He likes the casual closeness everyone has, the way it's okay to bump against someone else or put a steadying hand on a hip just for a second. It's nothing like the polite rigid distance Pete grew up with and he's grateful.

Gabe is the person Pete sees as being responsible for bringing him to Mikey. The debt of gratitude he feels to Gabe for that goes beyond all the silver in the world and it's something Pete feels incapable of expressing in words. It's overwhelming to realize that if he hadn't walked into Gabe on that rainy street, he might never have entered the mazes, and even if he had somehow stumbled into it, he would never have come close enough to truly catch Mikey's attention.

* * *

_Pete isn't paying attention to his surroundings. He's too preoccupied replaying the reprimanding he's just received from his father. As a younger son he doesn't have the responsibilities of Richard, but his father still demands his loyalty. The loyalty of showing up to the functions and making nice; of taking the right degree that will help the company and bring cachet to the family; of agreeing to allow the family to find his life partner. He'd been so good, worked so hard to get it all, but listening to his father listing off the attributes that his partner will have — connections, wealth, name – as if they're picking out a company to merge with instead of a real person, makes him sick._

_"Your degree was tolerated, we supported you doing it and now you're going to do right by the family with our match. I'll inform you of your partner when we've chosen. You may go," his father's words ring in his ears as he walks ignoring the way the rain has plastered his hair down and is trickling in cold rivulets past his collar. He’s thinking about all the things he should have said, all the arguments he should have laid out to counter the idea that he needed to be matched so soon after his graduation when he walks right into somebody. The impact sends Pete stumbling back, and hands unexpectedly reach out to steady him._

_"Hey man, your attention needs to be here now," the guy says snapping the fingers of his hand that isn't holding onto Pete's jacket._

_Pete blinks. People don't just stop to help like this. Not in these sectors, and definitely not for people like him. Nobody touches somebody like him because Smith would never allow it. Except, that he purposely didn't let Smith follow him this time. He finally looks around and realizes that he's walked longer than he thought; long enough to leave the core and into the edges of what everyone calls the maze. He's never been this far in before and never alone. People like him don't belong in the mazes._

_"Are you okay?" the guy asks, shaking Pete just a little and Pete realizes it's probably not the first or even the third time the guy has asked._

_The question makes him laugh, a horrible broken sound that he isn't expecting, "Of course I'm fine, I got my life plan handed to me."_

_The guy makes a sceptical noise. "Nah, you're not fine. But I know the place to make things right. You come with me and I'll show you the best party ever."_

* * *

"Hey ey," Gabe says pulling Pete into one of the quick back slapping hugs that close friends always use.

He leans into it like he should instead of pulling away like he had in the early days. Gabe doesn't step away, so Pete can justify leaning against him and enjoying the sensation of having another person so close. Pete is still awed by the easy intimacy that he's allowed. It makes Mikey shake his head and smile with amused incomprehension whenever Pete tries to explain to him exactly how amazing it is that people allow him to touch them. Even if Mikey doesn't understand why Pete is awed, he still makes sure to touch Pete more than what even the seekers consider normal because he knows Pete likes it.

"You're not stuck to Mikey," Gabe says as he flicks through a sound caddy with one hand.

"He's working," Pete says and intercepts Gabe's fingers so that he can read the title on a sound that has an especially eye-catching neon green graphic.

"Word is there's somethin' new comin' round soon, you know 'bout that?"

"Ask Mikey, he's always the first to get it," Pete says flipping to a sound marked with a silver lightning bolt.

Gabe whoops quietly, "There is, too. Your boy better not make me hunt him down for it."

Pete shrugs, making sure he sounds nonchalant when he says, "You know he'll always save it for you."

It doesn't escape Pete that helping Mikey, even as peripherally as a reassurance, is similar to what his parents have been having him do for years, yet doing it for Mikey doesn't make Pete feel as if he's suffocating under the weight of the false facade he was so carefully taught to cultivate. Doing it for Mikey makes him feel closer to him; makes him feel like he belongs in the mazes just a little bit more each time he does it. Every question shows him that the seekers are starting to accept him and his connection to Mikey. Seeing the pleased warmth in Mikey's gaze every time his help gets noticed makes it all the more worthwhile. Pete knows his help is why Mikey lets him watch his pre-evening ritual of tucking away his products instead of hiding it from Pete's curious eyes like he did at the beginning.

"Mighty fine silver tongue you're gettin'," Gabe says, but amusement is warm in his voice so Pete doesn't flinch.

If Pete has his way Gabe will never know just how silver his tongue can be instead he says, "You're one to talk."

"True, true," Gabe says happily, "You gonna spin with me?"

"Always."

Pete loves standing with Gabe at the sound rig so he can watch the crowd react to the way the sounds mash and mix together into music. Spinning with Gabe is even better because he's the one making the crowd move, giving them the music they're craving that only helps to enhance the favors Mikey quietly provides for a price. While he's at the rig, they all love him for what he's doing, and when he gets down he'll get the high hand claps and touches that only come when the seekers are congratulating him.

Somebody's arm slips around his waist. It only takes Pete a second to recognize the familiar weight of Mikey's arm, and the grey fingerless gloves he's always wearing.

"You gettin' him into trouble?" Mikey asks Gabe, giving Pete's waist a slight squeeze.

"Your boy is goin' to spin with me 'cause he's talented. You should share him more," Gabe's grin has a hint of a leer around the edges and Pete's once again reminded of Mikey's casual mention that they've been together in the past. He stiffens involuntarily at Gabe's offer and the breaking of the bond it implies.

"I'm not the sharing kind," Mikey's voice is bland but Pete knows enough to hear the hint of a threat hovering at the edges.

Gabe holds up a hand, "Hey hey, I know, but if you ever wanna..."

Pete leans into Mikey's side so it's easier for him to curl his arm around Mikey's waist. He likes Gabe, owes him, but the idea of being with him and Mikey at the same time scares Pete. He adores the casual touch intimacy but the idea of doing more, of being sexual with two people at once, just makes him panic. Ever since he was old enough to understand, he's learned how important monogamy is and to hear Gabe so casually willing to break that command makes his skin crawl. He isn't naive enough to assume that all the pairs from _before_ were committed. How could they be when it was based on mutual familial benefits? But they would never mention breaking it in public. Pete knows that he's lucky that Mikey is willing to indulge his need for monogamy when the seekers tend to favour more fluid arrangements.

"We'll keep the offer in mind."

The threat is gone and Mikey touches Gabe's shoulder quick and friendly - all offense forgiven. Pete presses a quick kiss to the underside of Mikey's jaw in silent thanks. Gabe shifts away from Pete just enough for it to be noticeable; a clear sign that he understands the message.

"I hear maybe you've got somethin' interestin'?" Gabe asks, switching topics without blinking.

Mikey shrugs and shifts so that Pete can lean against him more easily. "Depends on what you're callin' interestin', doesn’t it?"

"That it does but I know you save the best for me."

"You know that, hmm?" Mikey says fondly.

"Pete spilt your secret, Mikeyway," Gabe explains, sounding equally fond.

"You're ruinin' my rep, _elska_ ," Mikey asks Pete, before he ducks his head enough that he can lay a quick kiss against Pete's temple. The fondness in Mikey's voice makes the way he talks to Gabe sound emotionless by comparison. Pete squeezes Mikey's waist because it's too awkward to try twisting upward to kiss him when Mikey is still in the middle of a deal.

"The sort of interestin' our friend is always on the peek for," Gabe says, shifting closer to Mikey so he can lower his voice as if anyone in the party cares.

"I may just have something to peak for him. You ready to spin now?"

Gabe glances over at the sound rig and nods, "Yeah. Maybe we continue this at an alternative venue after?"

"Maybe we can," Mikey says, Pete can feel the way his hand moves to show his agreement.

* * *

Pete's body is still thrumming with the high of watching the crowd move to his spins and hearing them scream their approval. He can still feel their hands on his back and shoulders giving him quick touches to show their appreciation as he'd followed Mikey and Gabe through the crowd. He bounces a little on his feet enjoying the way he feels. Even though the door is closed he can hear the sounds the next spinner is running through the rig and it almost makes him want to go back inside except that would mean leaving Mikey.

"Not that I don't like him, but the green’s still too bright on him," Gabe says to Mikey before turning to Pete with a smile. "No hard feelin's, just business."

Pete shrugs, but doesn't say anything. This is really Mikey's business and he doesn't want to risk fucking it up. The power of silence in a negotiation is something he was taught early and it applies just as well to the mazes as it did to the functions in the _before_ times.

Mikey shrugs. "Not too green for me."

"I found him, so I know green."

"You know my scope. You think I'd bring a greenie with me if I didn’t think all that green been worn right blue?"

Pete thinks the easy way out is to just say he's going back to Mikey's - he still hasn't gotten used to thinking of it as home - but before he can say anything, Mikey is curling his cold fingers around Pete's wrist and tugging him closer. Pete goes easily, although he does shift so Mikey is blocking the wind. The quick flex of Mikey's fingers tells him that his attempt at subtlety failed and Mikey noticed. He leans against Mikey just a little bit because he hasn't had the chance since before he got up on the sound deck to spin with Gabe.

Gabe exhales, the night chill turning his breath white in the air. "Maybe, but maybe you're blinded by a nice package. You never bring a gree..." he glances at Pete, who leans a little more against Mikey, and corrects himself, "anyone 'fore, why start now? It's lookin' a little fuzzy, you see me?"

Mikey laughs, short and sharp, "You've known me, fuck, a long, and you think a little bit a _l'kami_ gonna make me fuzz-bait. Next you'll tell me Devonna herself is inside."

"I don't know, I'm not inside," Gabe says, with a smirk.

Mikey makes a show of checking his chrono as he says, "I have better things to do, maybe you think about it. And in the meantime, maybe I get a better offer."

"You might not."

"You were looking to get that special before we got here and if you knew, well you gotta admit the news don't stay dead that long." _And neither do the offers_ hangs in the air when Mikey pauses before asking, "Is that a risk you're willing to take?"

Gabe swears and his fingers flash into an acceptance sign, "Have it your way."

That is how Pete finds out Gabe's alternate venue is a lab tucked deep into a warehouse sector. Pete only recognizes it because he's seen the flimsies of the companies' holding areas in the reports his parents used to insist on him reading to "get a feel for it early." Ryland, the chemist, is tall and thin with a chemical-stained lab coat. His partner, Alex, has silver-framed specs and the sort of face Pete's mother always called sweet, although the effect is ruined by the phaze-knife hanging at his hip. Neither of them seem happy with Pete's presence. He's expecting Mikey to have another argument like he did with Gabe but instead, Alex shares a long look with Gabe. Pete tries to see if their fingers are moving in the maze shorthand without being obvious, but he can't see anything. Alex finally nods and that seems to relax Ryland.

"You're the breakers, hey ey?" Mikey asks.

"We have that distinction. Although, breaking isn’t our only skill, we can batch nicely too," Ryland talks with a northern accent that keeps twisting and slipping like it's put on rather than a true accent.

"What a deal," Mikey says and pulls out one of the green foil packets with the KW triangle on it.

Ryland whistles, "You bring a worthy challenge. Word is those weren't getting out for another six to eight."

"Can you break it?"

Ryland flips the green foil packet over in his hand a few times like he's weighing it, "Probably. It might take time, KW knows what they're doing with patent seals."

"We've broken 'em before," Alex interjects from his position just to left of Ryland and close enough to the door that he can stop them leaving if he wants, "but word is this has a new process protecting it."

"How long before you know for sure?" Mikey asks.

"Maybe, depends on how tight they made 'em." Ryland drums his fingers against the table top.

Mikey glances at Gabe, "When they break it, can you wrap me up, hm ...let's say a cord to start?"

"A cord's gonna flood us out," Gabe says quickly.

"You let me worry about cuttin' it to the sectors," Mikey tells him, which makes Alex's gaze sharpen.

Pete figures that Alex hasn't realized just how many sectors Mikey operates in, which will make Mikey happy. He likes playing at being only a supplier of favors in the mazes. Pete lets his attention wander as Mikey gets down to serious bargaining with Gabe and Ryland. He's never been in a breaker's lab before and it looks nothing like the grimy, just-one-step-away-from-an-explosion set-up Pete had imagined. Everything is neat and obviously labelled. It looks like one of the mini-labs he'd seen during the last tour of the main factory.

Mikey shifts and pulls out a new packet. This one is wrapped in blue foil with a yellow winged snake printed on it. Pete only knows the symbol code that runs down to the left side of the packet well enough to tell that its contents are a restricted grade. The snake graphic is enough to tell him that it's a medi and not one of the ones that gets swiped to be used as a favor. It's weird that Mikey has it, because Pete is sure he shouldn't need it. Yet, Mikey is getting Ryland to break and batch it for him, and what makes Pete more alarmed is that he can tell Mikey isn't pressing his advantage when he negotiates the details to get it done. Pete knows without question that the medi is the one Mikey was focused on from the start, even though the green favor is what he deals in. Cold fear makes the hair on the back of Pete's neck stand up. There are only horrible reasons for Mikey to need a medi like that.

Pete gets up so that he can wander around the lab. It's better than trying to sit still when all he wants to do is grab Mikey's hand and make him explain. The unknown has never bothered Pete; enjoying the surprise of what's to come next has always been one of his worst traits according to his father, but right now he wants nothing more than certainty. He can feel Alex watching him as he wanders slowly down the aisle that runs along the main work area. There's a centrifuge whirling in a clear case. Pete stares at it, getting lost in the spin of the tubes and the shifting numbers on the display. He wonders if everything would go crashing out if he lifted the case and stuck a pencil in the way of the tubes. It'd be so quick to turn everything into chaos, but he knows he can't no matter how tempted he is. Pete wants to pray to the Wyrd, even though he hasn't really believed for years, to leave his life alone. If Mikey's sick . . . just thinking about it makes his stomach hurt.

* * *

_Mikey's fingers trace the healed lines of the tattoo on his back over and over. It's the first one he had ever gotten and the needle went too deep, leaving the tattoo rough with scar tissue. Pete is laying on his stomach, face resting on his crossed forearms so he doesn't smother in the soft mattress of Mikey's bed. He licks his swollen lips, enjoying the way he can still faintly taste Mikey in his mouth and feel the reminder of the stretch of his cock in his ass._

_"Next time you want a tattoo I'll take you to a guy I know, he won't leave you scarred up." Mikey leans over just enough that he can kiss Pete's shoulder. "Don't want to ruin all your pretty skin."_

_Pete hums. "I didn't know better. And how do you know I want more?"_

_"I know you," Mikey's strokes a curving line between Pete's shoulder blades, "you'll want more. People like you always do."_

_Pete tenses without meaning to, "people like me?"_

_"People not from here. They just come 'round the maze, have a bit of adventure then go back. It's all erased - like they never did any of it."_

_The matter-of-factness of Mikey's statement makes Pete feel horribly vulnerable and exposed in his present position. He wants to pull away and dress, but that would let Mikey know just how bothered he is. It's been drilled into him never to give anyone something they can use, so instead Pete forces his body to stay relaxed as he replies, "Why'd you bother with me if you think I'm just a_ radi _?"_

 _"Didn't say you were a_ radi _, just not from here. I like you, and the first time I saw you smile for real, I knew I wanted to see you smile like that again." Mikey's hand strokes down his back before he says gruffly, "Don't tell anyone I said that, or my rep's shot."_

_Pete rolls onto his back. He reaches up and brushes the bright yellow hair away from Mikey's face. Mikey doesn't move and Pete is startled to see so much unguarded softness in Mikey's expression._

_"I'm not leaving," Pete tells him using all the tricks he's learned to make his resolve sound in his voice. "I know where you live, you won't be able to hide." He’s only half teasing because he wants Mikey to know just how serious he is, "I know what I left behind, and it's all worth it because I've got you. I know what I've got now."_

_Mikey smiles softly. Pete twines his arms behind Mikey's head and tugs until Mikey lets himself be pulled down. Pete presses his mouth against Mikey's, licking against Mikey's lips until they part and Pete can slide his tongue into the wet heat of Mikey's mouth. He knows where he wants to be._

* * *

Pete holds himself together until he and Mikey are alone again then he lets all the fear and worry out in a choking exhale.

"I'm fine," Mikey says touching his arm, "Pete, I'm okay."

"Then why do you need the medi? I know, okay," Pete tries to explain, words tripping over each other in his haste to get everything out, "I know you didn't bargain hard for it. You had leverage with them and you didn't use it. Desperation's only one reason to do that. Maybe I'm not from here, but I'm not stupid about this stuff. Just tell me. Whatever it is, just please tell me."

"I'm not sick."

Pete starts to protest and Mikey grabs his shoulders, squeezing hard enough for Pete to feel even though his coat, "I don't need the medi. I promise you I'm good."

"You promise?" Pete asks, and Mikey nods.

Pete blinks in confusion, " then why do that?"

"You didn't think favors were my only product did you?" Mikey asks as he lets his arms fall back to his sides.

Pete shrugs, "I kinda did."

"Oh," Mikey seems momentarily taken aback before he continues, "That medi is needed and people here, they can't always afford it. Think of me as a reliable wholesaler."

Pete frowns. Now that the sick terror of thinking Mikey was sick has faded, his brain focuses on the oddness of Mikey's answer. "But if you don't bargain hard with the chemists, then how do you profit?"

"It's not all about profit, that's core thinking." Mikey waits until Pete nods in acknowledgement before he continues. "As long as I cover costs it doesn't matter. This is about helping people. That's part of the bargain, I do what I do, but I give back."

"Give back?"

Mikey's grin is crooked, "There’s more than one reason nobody sees anything."

They walk in silence while Pete thinks about how Mikey is helping in his own way. It's the sort of activity that his family and the board would have considered to create an unacceptable revenue diversion, but after living in the maze, Pete knows the cost of his family's profits. With favors, there's an acceptable loss but that's never applied to medis. If they're caught, it's the medis that will be the worse problem. And yet Mikey is still doing it.

"I guess you've got me into it too, now," Pete says at last as they round the corner and Mikey nods reluctantly. Pete knows he shouldn't feel proud to be a small part of it, but he does. He’s just about to tell Mikey this, when a shadow moves in a doorway.

They both stop instinctively, watching to see who was waiting for them. Mikey's hand moves slightly so that it's ready to slide into his pocket if the need arises. When the man steps into the light, Pete relaxes because he recognizes his father's chief confidant. He knows that Mikey will catch the shift in his posture that signals there is no immediate threat. Hector is tall, and the cut of his dark blue coat makes him look even more broad-shouldered. Pete realizes that he must have lost track of the time if Hector is already showing up for his monthly attempt to guilt Pete into returning. Hector nods to Pete and his gaze slides past Mikey. It's an obvious cut. Pete doesn't know if Mikey understands the core protocols enough to realize that Hector has given him one of the best non-verbal insults he can offer, but Pete knows that Hector expects him to notice even if Mikey can't. Pete doesn't flinch. He's been taught by the best to appear only has he wants others to see and the time when he willingly dropped his guard around Hector is long past.

Mikey is still beside Pete and he knows that if he looks over Mikey's face will be blank as a doll. He trusts Mikey not to give them away. Hector waits. Pete stares at him. He won't break the silence. That was a mistake he had been surprised into making the first time Hector had appeared in the maze. Pete won't make it again. Speaking first will only give Hector an advantage. Pete counts silently in his head. It's an easy way to wait out the silence.

Finally, Hector says in his gentle baritone that reminds Pete of being young and hiding away to listen to Hector and his father planning strategy, "You have a duty to attend to Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz, and it is not here."

"I am not the eldest. Whatever duty they may want to place on me, it is mine to decline," Pete says, after he's counted to ten in his head.

"Your duty is to the family and they would ask me to remind you of all that you've received. Surely, carrying out your duty to them is a small enough repayment for that bounty," Hector says with such gentleness that Pete wants to punch him for making it sound like he's the one being unreasonable.

"My family is well aware of the objections that I have to the duty they wish to impose on me. Those objections have not changed nor are they likely to."

"Their choice would be less onerous than you think. Certainly, any choice of theirs will offer you much more than your current companion."

Hector says the word _companion_ like it’s filthy, as if he can barely bring himself to describe Mikey as such. Mikey doesn't move and Pete is fiercely glad that he already told Mikey about Hector's earlier visits. He reaches out and grabs Mikey's hand. The tips of his fingers are cold, but the material of his fingerless glove makes Pete's own bare hand feel warmer. Pete tugs him closer. By this time, Pete knows that Hector and the family will have found out who Mikey is to him despite his best efforts.

"My answer remains the same, so you've wasted your time and mine by coming here. Goodbye, Hector," Pete says as he puts just enough pressure on Mikey's hand to let him know to step forward when Pete does the same.

As they walk past, Hector says, "Your father instructed me to tell you that when you're ready to do your duty, they will be waiting for you."

Pete keeps walking and doesn't say anything. It's easier to let Hector have the last word. Mikey is silent beside him but he squeezes Pete's fingers in silent support. Pete can feel Hector's gaze on his back until they turn the first corner, but he doesn't drop his guard. Mikey's pace is faster than normal and Pete is glad he feels the same need to be away quickly. Mikey takes them through a twisting maze of alleys and side streets that wreck Pete's sense of direction. Nothing looks familiar enough for him to place their location. It's like he is fresh to the mazes again and following Gabe blindly; trusting Gabe to lead him to where he needs to be.

"So that was Hector," Mikey says softly when they finally slow their pace.

Pete repeats one of the phrases he's picked up in the maze. "Yeah. Same shit different day."

Mikey huffs a short laugh as he hops over a low barrier. Pete follows. He lands awkwardly and Mikey reaches out to steady him. Pete curls his fingers in the fabric of Mikey's cuff.

"I chose you," he says firmly giving Mikey's wrist a shake for emphasis.

"Yeah, you did." Mikey sounds pleased.

Pete leans up and whispers against Mikey's mouth, "So you should take me home now."

"Okay," Mikey whispers back and kisses him.


End file.
